Hops along: Brew trail offers taste of craft beers

Hunting for hops along the state's new craft beer trail, travelers can discover not just unique drinks, but food, fun and creative use of local agriculture.

This week the state is officially rolling out its craft brew trail and passports adventurous people can use to discover the many and varied breweries in the state.

On the passport there are 60 breweries as well as several others recommended but not part of the beer trail. In Central Massachusetts, beer lovers can visit the Wormtown Brewery in Worcester, Rapscallion Brewery and Taproom in Sturbridge, Wachusett Brewery in Westminster, the Gardner Ale House in Gardner, Kretschmann Brewing Co. in Webster and three breweries in Framingham, Framingham Beer Works, Jack's Abby Brewing and John Harvard's Brew House. Not on the brewery trail, but recommended by the state, is Spencer Trappist Ales in Spencer.

There are also many other breweries on the trail, in five other regions.

The craft brew trail is not just a list of breweries, but a challenge. If you complete one region and have your passport stamped, you get a "Drink Local" T-shirt. The state is planning events in all the regions today, including at Wormtown Brewery, 455 Park Ave., Worcester. Wormtown will host an event to roll out the craft beer trail from 3 to 5 p.m. at its brewery and Peppercorns Restaurant, which is adjacent to the brewery and features Wormtown beer.

Greg Watson, state commissioner of the state Department of Agricultural Resources, said the state is always looking for uses for its agricultural products. In 2009 discussion began about what products could be used in the state's then relatively small but growing brewing community. The state, along with the Vermont Department of Agricultural Resources, sought grants from the federal government to look at the potential for growing and using products for beer making.

The result has been a growing number of breweries using Massachusetts-grown products.

Ben Roesch, brewer and partner in Wormtown Brewery, said the company uses at least one locally grown product in every beer it makes. The company buys hops from Northfield, malt from Valley Malt in Hadley, honey from Sutton and blueberries from Mendon.

Wormtown is in transition. Although the party for the craft beer trail rollout will be at its location, by the end of the summer they hope to be in a new brewery on Shrewsbury Street near Volturno Restaurant. The current location is so small the person at the end of the line of the bottling process has to stand outside. The new brewery will provide many times the capacity, a tasting room and retail store.

"The cooler alone is the same square feet as our current brewery," said David Fields, Mr. Roesch's business partner.

Mr. Roesch said the brewery does not offer food, preferring to focus on beer. They sell their beer throughout Worcester County.

Each brewery offers a different product and business model. Wormtown sells bottled and canned beer and hopes to expand on that. The Gardner Ale House is a brew pub, one of the few in Central Massachusetts. It offers a full restaurant menu and nine or 10 of its own beers on tap, with many visiting beers, often from other craft breweries.

Rick Walton and Dave Richardson, the Ale House brewer, were home brewers together when they decided to open the business.

Sitting at a table on the Ale House's newly opened back porch, Mr. Walton said when visitors on the craft beer trail find their way to Gardner, he wants them to discover an oasis.

"For miles around there is nothing like it," he said.

Mr. Walton said he wants people to see the business as "the third place" — not work, not home, but a third place they can go to and feel comfortable.

"Part of what makes it a good destination for the beer trail is you can come here, have a meal and hear music four out of seven days," added Mr. Richardson.

The porch is the latest addition to the business, where new beers are regularly rolled out, some based on European recipes.

Mr. Walton said a plan for the near future is to put a sampling room in the basement of the building with the brewery and all for expansion of brewery tours and tasting by visitors.

The Wachusett Brewery is the largest brewery in Central Massachusetts. Created 20 years ago by three WPI graduates, Ned LaFortune, Peter Quinn and Kevin Buckler, it is now owned by Mr LaFortune alone.

Wayne Ronn, who manages the brewery's store, said Wachusett beer is now sold throughout New England, and locally people can stop in and buy from the store, take a brewery tour or try samples in the sample room. There is also a function room people can rent for family or business events.

Mr. Ronn said the brewery is marking its anniversary with a 20th Anniversary Brewfest from 1 to 7 p.m. June 14, with live music, beer and many giveaways.

The sampling room regularly has about a dozen Wachusett beers on tap. Among the most popular brands are Wachusett Blueberry, Green Monsta Ale, which has been helped along by the success of the Red Sox, and Nut Brown Ale. The newest brews include Revered Red, made in conjunction with radio station WAAF, and Strawberry White, which Mr. Ronn said is rapidly gaining popularity. Also the brewery is making Wachusett Light IPA, billed as the world's first light IPA.

Mr. Ronn said all he hopes from visitors is that they have a chance to sample Wachusett beers, and if they like them, buy some from local businesses.

"It's a nice experience here sampling the beer," he said.

Another model is Rapscallion Brewery and Taproom on Arnold Street in Sturbridge. The brewery is at Hyland Orchards. It is in the location formerly used first by Hyland Brewing Co. and later Pioneer Brewing. The business brews its own beer, including honey ale, and sells it out of its taproom. They do not sell food except through a food truck some evenings during the summer. But customers often bring their own food and sit at tables made by a member of the brewery's mug club out of large pine trees felled by the 2011 tornado.

The business is owned by two brothers, Cedric and Peter Daniel. Although it is called Rapscallion, its corporate name is Concord Brewing Co., a business the brothers used to operate in Concord.

Cedric Daniel said the history of the business goes back to two of the oldest craft breweries in the state. When Hyland Brewing Co. opened in the mid-1990s, there were only 15 breweries in the state. One of the others was Concord Brewing Co.

Mr. Daniel said Rapscallion tries to keep a community focus, working with local businesses and offering their beer in draft only and distributed in Massachusetts only. They also try to use local products when they can in their beer making. They also have a deal where the leftover mash from brewing operations goes to a local dairy farm.

Craft brew trail passports can be found at all participating breweries as well as through the state Department of Agricultural Resources.

Contact George Barnes at george.barnes@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @georgebarnesTG